5 Benefits of Chapter Titles
Chapter titles can add a lot of flavor to a book. From foreshadowing to creating double meanings to highlighting a theme, they're a great tool for authors!
I love chapter titles. As a reader, I love to see them. As a writer, I love to include them.
Coming up with titles isn’t always an easy task for me. Unless it’s one of those rare circumstances when a title comes to me right from the get-go, I find naming my stories to be one of the hardest parts. It’s not easy to compartmentalize an entire novel into a few short words. With chapters, however, I love the challenge.
Today, a lot of books don’t come with titles. Instead, some opt for having just the chapter number, while others may include the character’s point of view, a famous example being George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. While I don’t think that every book needs chapter titles, I do think that they offer a lot of benefits.
1. They Give Readers A Preview Of What They Can Expect
As a kid, some of my fondest memories were going into bookstores with my grandpa, looking at books with intriguing covers, reading a captivating blurb on the back, and then glancing at the chapter titles in the table of contents.
While this may veer into spoiler territory for some, most chapter titles (good ones anyway) don’t reveal too much, but offer a teaser of what’s to come.
Each chapter should represent a sequential series of short stories in a book. They should basically serve as an episode in a series. Therefore, reading a table of contents can give you a sneak peak of what you’ll be in for throughout the entire book. It’s essentially another chance to really hook a potential reader, which is always a win!
2. They Help Writers Hone In On A Theme Or Topic
Naming is hard. Whether it be for characters, locations, creatures, and not least of all, the book itself, it can take ages to come up with names that really sing. However, at least for me, naming a chapter has always come a bit more naturally.
I find naming chapters really satisfying. Titling a segment of my story allows me to see it as its own work within a larger piece and helps me see it that way during rewrites. Each chapter has its own theme while moving the plot of the story forward.
3. They’re A Chance To Add Some Character To The Story
Chapters are a great opportunity to ingest some character into a story. Aside from teasing what’s to come, titles can hammer in a running theme, joke, or motif.
For example, if a story is told from the perspective of an unreliable narrator, a certain quirk can be applied to the chapter names for a touch of character. If the story is supposed to be in the form of a log or a journal, dates or certain occasions can be marked as the title to add a sense of structure and immersion.
If a book is like a TV series, then each chapter represents an episode in it. Episode titles can provide a lot of flavor and personality. Chapters can do the same for books.
4. They Can Create Expectations Or Atmosphere
If a chapter marks a pivotal moment in the story, then a powerful title can set the mood. A title that alludes to a massive conflict that has been building can get the hype train going. It’s as if to say “this is it.” Alternatively, a cleverly and appropriately chosen title can subvert expectations to powerful effect.
Titles are also a great chance to show off double meaning, which can make rereads satisfying. For example, a title might obviously refer to one thing that’s literally happening in that chapter while also referring to something behind the scenes in a more metaphorical way. There’s a lot of opportunities to have fun with titles!
5. Readers Can More Easily Refer To A Specific Chapter.
It goes without saying that a title is typically more memorable than a number. Actually, it would be pretty impressive to come up with a title that isn’t. However, when a certain chapter really stands out and readers want to talk about it, it’s easier to remember “The Wings of Volderas” than “Chapter 26.”
Again, it’s like an episode of television. People often mention a specific episode that they love from a series.
Chapter Titles Are A Valuable Tool
Titles have a lot of power. They set the tone and atmosphere for a story, and some of the strongest franchises boast catchy, memorable titles. There’s a certain effect in speculating what a story will be like based on the title alone that’s just so captivating.
By adding titles to each chapter, you can really capitalize on that. It’s a way to give each chapter its own identity and invite speculation for each step of the way as readers journey through your story.
For me, it depends on the type of story it is. I don't know how to explain this other than chapter titles feel right for some stories and not others, but there's no consistency across genres, so it's more of a gut thing? I do love coming up with chapter titles, though!